


Baby Fever

by DeadlyBingo



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Digg wants to be an uncle, F/M, Fluff, OTA, Olicity Fluff, because the real world is lacking some fluff right now, future arrow, like extra fluff, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-21 00:43:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9523778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadlyBingo/pseuds/DeadlyBingo
Summary: People had always joked about whether Oliver or Felicity would come down with baby fever first.  But what no one expected was their best friend to be the first one afflicted.





	

“Digg, one more ‘When are you two having kids?’ comment from you and I’ll have to start inspecting my condoms for _pinholes_.” Oliver leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed and face stern, but Felicity knew that his lips were just itching to reveal a smile.

“You haven’t started checking _already_?” John winked across the table to his groaning wife and lowered his beer before continuing, “Good to confirm, man. My plan is _right on track_ then.”

John’s answer was just fast enough that Felicity found herself jumping beyond logic and considering if John actually knew where their condoms were stored. It was far too possible for him to have located the box they had poorly ‘hidden’ in the dorm of the bunker.  Who knows how long ago he could have stumbled upon those? But he wouldn’t actually do anything to them... _Right_?  

Felicity could feel herself spiraling but soon enough both John and Oliver broke out in low chuckles and she forced herself to draw a few deep breaths. No, of _course_ he wouldn’t do that. Why was she even worrying about this anyway?

Since the wedding, the possibility of children had become a frequent topic down in the bunker. But usually the conversation landed in the same place: they should _wait_. Wait until their lives slowed down. Until their nights were a little safer. Until _Star City_ was just a little safer. It wasn’t that the team wasn’t supportive, of _course_ they were. But most of the recruits expressed trouble imagining Oliver having time to change a diaper between fights or Felicity being able to manage 3am feedings along with her newly re-acquired company and Overwatch duties.

But recently John had made it loud and clear that he felt differently than the rest of the team. John ‘their biggest cheerleader’ Diggle was no longer patiently waiting to become an uncle. Since Oliver and Felicity’s wedding last May, he had only temporarily held back his baby talk. And now that his own wife was expecting their second child, a girl who they planned to name Sara, his enthusiasm for the possibility had flown into overdrive.

“What John _means_ to say is: you’ll be great parents _whenever_ it happens for you,” Lyla clarified, nodding her head to her husband as she moved her hand to her stomach. “We just hope it’s soon enough that our kids get to grow up together. _And_ that you’re tempted to add a nursery into the bunker so we can stop paying these crazy nanny salaries. You’d be surprised how _expensive_ a nanny with extensive defense training is to hire.”

* * *

 

“Yeah, suuure. What the wife said,” John agreed, the dejection in his voice exaggerated after his third beer.

A long pause settled in the air before Lyla redirected the conversation. “I know this wasn’t your purpose in recruiting them, but it’s nice that we can all have dinner these days and know some _other_ heros are keeping an eye on the city. It’s crazy how little couple stuff we’ve gotten to do together over the last few years. Did you know that _normal_ couples go to vineyards or on vacations together? That they actually leave their cities for events unrelated to alien-related missions?”

“It was a necessary _development_ ,” Felicity agreed, her hand moving to Oliver’s arm across the table and squeezing it lightly. “Even if _some_ people weren’t thrilled with the idea at first.”

Oliver raised a brow. “Did you really expect me to jump for joy over divulging my secrets to a guy with the nickname _Wild Dog_?”

“There, there, Hun.” Felicity patted Oliver’s arm before pulling her hands onto her own lap. “You have to admit that he’s grown on you… _Most days_.”

“I maintain that we might have been better off just getting a real dog. It would be better trained,” Oliver mumbled, his tone so serious that even Felicity struggled to decipher if he was joking.

Though some of the transition period had been rough, Felicity was glad their team had expanded to include so many new members.  Not only did it ultimately mean the city was safer, but it allowed her and her new husband to have at least a _semblance_ of a traditional marriage. Maybe even one day their family and the Diggles could go on a joint family vacation and _not_ have to panic about the city they left behind.

“Well I’ve _suggested_ a puppy as a team mascot on more than one occasion but _someone_ keeps turning it down because he’s worried about dog fur getting in his _leather pants_.”

“That is _not_ what I said,” Oliver asserted before adding, “I’m _just_ saying, it would be better if the kid could learn to follow directions. For _all_ of us.”

“He does.” Felicity smirked, tapping Oliver’s foot with her own under the table. “Just not from _you_.”

Felicity saw a smile flash across John’s face as he observed them for a moment before chiming in, “We _all_ know your kids will be the same, Oliver. Is that why you two haven’t bitten the bullet yet?”

Lyla groaned, raising her fingertips to her forehead. “Oh Johnny, not back to the baby thing again. _This_ is why we don’t have any other married friends.”

* * *

 

John paused before fully opening the locker room door.  After a few too many close calls following Oliver and Felicity’s reunion, he started making a point to hesitate before entering any room they were alone in together.  Most days he would even call out or knock to announce his presence, but now he hesitated silently, his interest piqued by the squeal of glee echoing off the concrete walls.

“Oliver!” Felicity giggled, “It’s _so_ cute! Look at that little snout and the curly tail and _oh my_ _god_ it’s _so_ soft! He or she will absolutely _love_ it! I can’t believe you got something already!”

“You like it? _Really_? I know a pig is kind of a weird choice for this kind of thing but I guess it just caught my interest? We don’t _actually_ have to use it though. We could always just return it for a better toy of something. I was just thinking...”

John’s brain raced for non-baby related possibilities, but he couldn’t find one.  Was it possible that Oliver and Felicity were _already_ expecting? That Oliver had gone out and gotten an early gift for the baby (as weird as a baby gift a stuffed pig may be?). He couldn’t remember if Felicity had ordered her usual drink at dinner last night or if she abstained in solidarity with Lyla. Why hadn't he taken better note when, according to Felicity, he was even more obsessed with them having children than even Donna was.

John’s ‘baby fever,’ as Felicity had taken to calling it, had started off as a joke. It was something he used to get Oliver squirming during a stakeout or Felicity rambling after a few drinks. But once Lyla discovered she was expecting their second child, John couldn’t get over the prospect of their families raising kids at the same time. The potential future was so much brighter than he ever dreamt he would have, or thought he deserved, especially after losing Andy. But now the possibility was so close he could _taste_ it.  

“I’m really glad you like it. I was worried...” Oliver’s voice was uncharacteristically soft as he answered his wife. Though John had grown increasingly used to hearing Oliver sound vulnerable, the change in his best friend over the last 5 or 6 years still managed to occasionally catch him off guard. Especially when that same man had jumped across rooftops to tackle an armed serial killer less than 2 hours earlier.

John heard Felicity begin to reply, her voice now close to a whisper. Without a second thought he began leaning forward and made the critical error of forgetting how _easily_ the new locker room door swung open after the bunker’s last remodel.

“John!” Felicity called out, shoving a stuffed pig behind her back as her entire face flushed pink. “I didn’t know you were done with your shower.  I mean, not that I was assuming anything about your shower habits- like how long or short they are. That would be _weird_. Because we’re friends. And both married. To other people, I mean. Not to each other. But _you_ knew that. And friends don’t worry about other friend’s shower habits. I mean… well you _know_ what I mean. And um…” Felicity took a measured breath, looking to Oliver for reassurance before turning back to John and moving on, “Lyla _just_ called us.  She asked for you to stop at Big Belly Burger on the way home and get every kind of milkshake, except for the gross ones that will make her puke.”

“What does that even _mean_?” John questioned.

“Hell if _we_ know,” Oliver replied. “I was too afraid to ask. JJ was screaming his head off in the background. I’d just get them all if I were you.”

“Nah, just the scent of the strawberry will make her unable to drink any of the others.  But I can’t remember if she likes the raspberry flavor or not this week… Two weeks ago she threw out all of our frozen raspberries but then last week she ate every single raspberry jellybean out of the candy bowl at 3am in the morning…”

“Sounds like you’re in trouble, buddy.” Oliver forced a laugh just as John’s eye caught Felicity expertly dropping the stuffed pig into her open totebag.

But he wasn’t going to let this one pass him by. Not when he suspected something so big. “So um, _what’s going on_ _here_?” John inquired, pointing to the curly pink tail poking out of Felicity’s bag.

“Dog toy,” Oliver answered quickly, bending down to pull the pig out of the bag holding it up. “Felicity _finally_ wore me down. We’re thinking we’ll rescue one over the summer.”

Oliver’s reply was so instantaneous that John couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. Oliver was too poor of a liar to come up with that one on the spot, right?

Felicity’s smile stretched across her face, a glimmer in her eye as she looked to Oliver prior to confirming. “Yup. Dog toy. Will that hold over your _baby fever_ John?”

Dog toy. _That_ made more sense. It was only a matter of time before Felicity won that battle.  If only she had joined forces with John’s mission instead. The woman was a powerhouse.

“You weren’t listening in and thinking we were talking about _something else_ , were you?” Felicity raised an eyebrow, silently challenging John to admit his eavesdropping.

John groaned, doing his best impersonation of his son’s new eye-roll before responding, “Of course not. And, uh, congrats on the dog thing. You’ll be great… _dog_ parents _._ ”

* * *

 

Oliver’s eyes flicked to his watch. Though he knew John and Thea should have arrived a few minutes earlier to go over some complications from the previous night’s mission, he found himself surprisingly okay with both of them being late. Where the old him would be lamenting over time being wasted, _married_ him was considering just _how_ late his team would be and how he and Felicity could fill the wait.

But before Oliver had a chance to bring up the suggestion to Felicity, who was humming to herself as she scanned an article online, the elevator chimed across the room.

“Hey guys!” John called out before the doors fully opened. “I have a surprise for you two.”

Oliver couldn’t help but smirk. Clearly Digg was still scarred by what had happened two months ago.  And three months ago.  And, of course, about 6 months before that. Oliver had to admit, maybe his best friend had a reason to be cautious.

John stepped out of the elevator, his overly proud smile only distracting Oliver for a moment before his eyes were drawn to the ball of black fur whimpering in the crook of John’s left arm, bright blue eyes darting around the room.

“I just found this guy outside,” John began to explain. “That’s why I’m later than planned. And since Felicity mentioned you two agreed on getting a _dog_ , well I guess it seemed serendipitous- or whatever that word is. And _maybe_ bringing him is could be a good way to make up for all the baby-jokes I’ve been making the past few weeks.”

Oliver’s nature begged him to comment on John’s vocabulary but Felicity’s squeal beat him to the punch. “It’s a dog!”

Oliver hesitated before answering, “Uh, yeah. I see that.”

“Remember, Oliver? We _did_ tell John we were looking for a _puppy_. How perfect!”

“I remember but _Felicity-_ ” Oliver tried to warn her, his brain already coming up with a million new reasons why a young puppy would be a terribly unwise addition to their already hectic life at this time. “We shouldn-”

Felicity was at John’s side in a flash, clearly oblivious to Oliver’s reasoning. “And just look at him! So _cute_ and afraid and oh my god he just needs our help! How _perfect_ is this! And right outside! We could give him a _themed_ name! Like Bunker! Or um, Arrow! Oh, no! Bo! We could name him _Bo_!”

“That’s a _great_ idea, Felicity,” John chimed in, a proud smirk on his face. Oliver couldn’t tell if Digg’s reaction was from Felicity’s joy or his own panicked look.  Probably both.

“Look, Hun! He likes it here already! He’ll be _such_ a good guard dog!”

“Are you _sure_ , Felicity? This just seems like an _iffy idea_ right now...” Oliver tried to reason with his wife but once he spotted the tender look on her face, he knew his battle was lost before it even started.

“I’m sure!” Felicity cooed, her attention more on the dirt-coated puppy than Oliver. “Thank you, John!”

Oliver took a step closer and resisted the urge to give his best friend a solid punch on the arm as his ‘thanks.’ Instead he reached out, signaling for Felicity to pass him the little mutt.

“Pass him here, okay? Just let me give this thing a bath before we make any more decisions. For all we know it’s some alien under all this fur. The poor thing is so _filthy_ we don’t even know if he’s cute.”

“Oliver! Be _nice_! This is our new _son_! Of course he’s cute!” Felicity turned to John for confirmation, “Wait, you did say it’s a boy, right?”

John chuckled, clearly even more pleased with himself. “That’s right.”

Oliver sighed in defeat before turning back to John, “I think we need to postpone this debrief while we deal with this… surprise. Mind texting Thea for us?”

“Will do. John Jr. is home from preschool today anyway and Lyla wants us to take him to the zoo. And by us, she most definitely means me.” John scratched the puppy’s head once more and then looked over to Felicity, who now clearly had tears of (what Oliver hoped was) joy in her eyes. “And so not to hide my potential ulterior motive: if watching each other with a puppy doesn’t make you two want a kid, I’m not sure _what_ will.”

“Good _bye_ , John,” Oliver tried to hide his nerves as he held the dog up to eye level. The thing was small, barely 10 pounds and likely under eight weeks.  He hadn’t had a dog since he was a little kid, but even _he_ knew puppies this young were a _lot_ of work. And they definitely required an amount of time that Oliver did not have available with his _two_ demanding jobs and a wife he very much wanted to devote all of his free time to.

“Oliver, we don’t _have_ to keep it you know…” Felicity said, her voice suddenly quiet as the sound of the elevator faded away. Of course she was thinking about his feelings now.  When didn’t she? With everything in their lives, Felicity still wanted to put his feelings before her own. “We could just post the puppy on the mayor’s instagram and I’m sure some great, _normal_ family would love him… It’s just that-”

“You’ve already fallen in love and if I take this puppy away from you you’ll probably hold it against me forever? Then you’ll tell our future children about the dog they _could_ have had?” Oliver guessed, putting on his best attempt at a reassuring smile.

Felicity smiled, hope seeping back into her eyes. “I won’t say you’re _wrong_.”

Felicity stepped closer, already reaching out for the puppy, but Oliver instinctively took another step back, warning, “Let’s get it washed before you get some crazy disease from it. _Then_ you can cuddle the little fuzzball all you want while I go spend a fortune on everything it needs.”

Despite his best efforts, Oliver found a small, genuine smile spreading across his own face.  The thing _was_ pretty cute already. Plus, it could be trained to keep an eye on the lair when Felicity was left alone.  And, most importantly, if it made Felicity this happy, who was he to say no?

Felicity smiled victoriously. “Bo. Remember? His name is _Bo_.  And he definitely needs a nice green collar!”

“I’ll see what I can do. And I’ll grab a few toys, too. He’s definitely not allowed to pull that stuffed pig apart. That one’s _off limits_ , you hear that boy? Even if that thing _did_ start this whole mess.” Oliver moved the puppy into the crook of his arm, trying not to reveal how quickly the dog was winning him over. “Now let’s go take a bath.”

Felicity was only a few steps behind Oliver as they made their way across the bunker, an audible skip in her step.

“ _But_ ,” Oliver announced, looking to the dog before turning back to Felicity, “we should _probably_ let John know about the pregnancy soon. Or else he might show up with a kitten and we’ll be _completely_ outnumbered in less than 7 months.”

“Agreed. We’ll save getting a kitten as an excuse for the _next_ baby.”


End file.
